CHICAGO, IL — The Department of Homeland Security released a list of "sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law" on Friday, and the State of Illinois plus seven specific towns are on it.
According to DHS, 96 of Illinois' 102 counties are "deliberately and shamefully" obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws, endangering American communities.
The specific towns included in the list are:
"These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. "We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law."
Since Inauguration Day, authorities from federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, have been called in to Chicago among other major U.S. cities to arrest immigrants.
Just three months ago, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was suing the state, Cook County and the city of Chicago, stating local laws are "designed to and in fact interfere with and discriminate against" the federal government's immigration enforcement policies.
In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing DHS and the Department of Justice to identify jurisdictions that have been refusing to cooperate with federal immigration
authorities.
Trump and Gov. JB Prtizker have been diametrically opposed since the president's first term. When Trump was re-elected last November, Pritzker vowed to "protect Illinoisans from the damage" the new administration may cause.
"To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom, opportunity, and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior," Pritzker said. "You come for my people — you come through me."
Related:
Pritzker, one of Trump's most vocal critics, added that anyone feeling "unsafe and unwelcome," including women concerned about their healthcare, has an "ally" in Illinois and "will always be welcome here."
"When local leaders demonize law enforcement and impose legal and political handcuffs that make aggressively enforcing the law impossible, crime thrives and innocent citizens and small business owners suffer," the executive order states.
According to the DHS statement release Friday, each jurisdiction will receive formal notification of its non-compliance with federal statutes.
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